Thomas Wake
Thomas Wake is the main antagonist of the 2019 psychological-horror fantasy film The Lighthouse. He is the lighthouse keeper and employer of the protagonist villain Ephraim Winslow of whom he has to spend time with on the island for many weeks whilst keeping Ephraim from entering the lighthouse. He was portrayed by Willem Dafoe, who also played Ryuk in the Death Note movie, who also portrayed the Green Goblin in Spider-Man, John Geiger in Speed 2: Cruise Control, Rat in Fantastic Mr. Fox, Lord Cob in Tales From Earthsea, Nikolai Diavolo in 007: All or Nothing, Eric Masters in To Live and Die in L.A., Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire, Raven Shaddock in Streets of Fire, and Armando Barillo in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Biography Thomas Wake's backstory and early life isn't really touched on in the film though it is presumed that he was born in the early 19th century and it is also stated that he was once a sailor and even a captain of a ship before being a Lighthouse keeper though it's possibly a fabricated lie. Ephraim Winslow is sent on a boat to serve a contract job as a wickie for four weeks on an isolated island off the coast of New England, under the supervision of an elderly Thomas Wake. On the first day of the job, Winslow notices a hole in his cot. As he digs into it, he finds a small scrimshaw of a mermaid and stuffs it in his jacket. Winslow observes Wake going up to the lighthouse's lantern at night and stripping naked. Winslow begins experiencing visions and dreams of tentacles in the lighthouse, tree stumps floating in the water, and distant images of a beautiful Mermaid. Throughout the time spent together between Ephraim and Thomas, they start to annoy each with their own antics which causes several arguments and small fights. The day before Winslow is slated to leave, he notices the water pump is releasing bloody water and investigates. He checks the cistern to see a dying gull floating inside. The one-eyed seagull flies down and attacks Winslow, who grabs it and beats it to death against the cistern. That afternoon, the winds dramatically change direction. That night, a storm hits the island, and the two men get drunk. The next morning, the ferry does not arrive, and Winslow sees a body washed up on the shore. He approaches the naked body and realizes that it is a mermaid. He runs back into the cottage to find Wake stating that the rations were impacted by the storm. They dig up a crate said to contain extra rations, but it only contains more alcohol. More nights progress, and the storm continues, and the two men grow closer while remaining adversarial. Winslow unsuccessfully tries to steal the key to the lantern room from a sleeping Wake. He has visions of a lobster trap containing the severed, half-blinded head of Wake's previous wickie. One night, Winslow tells Wake that his real name is Thomas Howard and that he assumed the identity of Ephraim Winslow, Howard's old foreman who died in an accident Howard failed to stop. Wake accuses Howard of "spilling his beans," and Howard tries to leave. He attempts to escape on the dory, but Wake destroys it with an ax. Wake chases Howard into the cottage, but inside, Wake claims that it was Howard who attacked him. With no alcohol left, the two begin mixing spirits out of turpentine and honey, and the storm becomes so powerful that waves crash through the windows of the cottage. The next morning, Howard finds Wake's log, recording his infractions and recommending severance without pay. Wake chides Howard for his work performance while Howard accuses Wake of mental abuse, then begs him to see the light that Wake has been keeping from him. Wake berates Howard, and Howard attacks him. While seeing visions of the mermaid, Wake as a sea monster, and the real Winslow, Howard beats Wake into submission. Howard leashes Wake with a rope and buries him alive in the ration pit. Howard takes the keys and prepares to go up to the lantern room, but Wake appears and strikes him in the shoulder with the ax. Howard disarms Wake with a kettle pot and kills him with the same ax before ascending the lighthouse. Soon, Howard does manage to reach the light atop the Lighthouse but slips and falls down the flight of stairs. Some time later, Wake's curse to Howard seemingly worked as it is revealed that Wake ended up lying on the shore naked while missing an eye as two seagulls peck and bite on his innards whilst hundreds of seagulls swarm the area. Quotes Gallery willem_dafoe_the_lighthouse_interview_robert_pattinson.jpg|Thomas Wake smoking his cigar. blah.jpg|Thomas Wake cursing Winslow. Trivia *The entire film may be a metaphor of the Greek tale of Prometheus stealing the light and paying the consequences for it. *At one point in the film, Wake transforms into a squid-like creature whilst fighting with Winslow however it is possible that it is part of a hallucination. It is ambiguous to the strange events centered in the film. Category:Movie Villains Category:Horror Villains Category:Thriller Film Villains Category:Fantasy Villains Category:Enigmatic Category:Guardians Category:On & Off Category:Delusional Category:Deceased Category:Affably Evil Category:Oppressors Category:Power Hungry Category:Live Action Villains Category:Obsessed Category:Homicidal Category:Male Category:Lawful Evil Category:Wrathful